WEBVTT IS IDENTIFYING THOSE MOST AT RISK, EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE NO SYMPTOMS. LYNN WICKWIRE HAS SAT THROUGH HUNDREDS OF THESE EYE EXAMS. DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES AS A BOY, THE ROUTINE CHECKS MONITORED FOR ANY DISEASE-RELATED VISION ISSUES. BUT THEY WERE UNCOMFORTABLE. >> THEY WOULD HAVE LITTLE DEVICES THAT WOULD KEEP YOUR EYELIDS OPEN. IT GOT SO BAD THAT YOUR MUSCLES WOULD START TWITCHING, ON YOUR EYELIDS. EMILY: THAT’S NOT AN ISSUE ANYMORE. TODAY, LYNN IS EXAMINED WITH THIS, A WIDE-FIELD IMAGING CAMERA AT THE BEETHAM EYE INSTITUTE AT JOSLIN DIABETES CENTER. >> YOU CAN’T ALWAYS TELL THAT YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR EYES. YOU CAN HAVE VERY SEVERE DISEASE AND NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL. EMILY: DR. LLOYD AIELLO IS DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE. HE SAYS THE CAMERA CHECKS THE BACK OF THE EYE, THE RETINA, FOR THE EARLIEST SIGNS OF DISEASE, IN INCREDIBLE DETAIL DR. AIELLO: NOW, WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, WE CAN COVER OVER 82% OF THE RETINA WITH A SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH IN A QUARTER OF A SECOND. AND WE LOOK AT THE VASCULATURE OF THE RETINAS, THE VERY SMALL BLOOD VESSELS AND VARIOUS OTHER CHANGES THAT HAPPEN WITH THOSE BLOOD VESSELS. EMILY: THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SIGNS OF RETINOPATHY, DAMAGE TO THE TINY BLOOD VESSELS IN THE RETINA. LONG-TERM HIGH BLOOD SUGAR FROM DIABETES CAN CAUSE THOSE VESSELS TO LEAK FLUID OR EVEN BLEED, LEADING TO DISTORTED VISION. AND DR. AIELLO SAYS CATCHING THOSE CHANGES EARLY CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. DR. AIELLO: IF WE IDENTIFY THE PATIENTS AT THE RIGHT TIME AND PUT THEM INTO THE PROPER CARE, WE CAN PREVENT MORE THAN 95% O THE VISUAL LOSS. EMILY: HIS COLLEAGUE, DR. JENNIFER SUN, IS WORKING TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER. DR. SUN: THIS IS REALLY PART OF THE IMAGING REVOLUTION THAT’S GOING ON. EMILY: SHE SHOWED US THIS PROTOTYPE CAMERA, AN ADAPTIVE OPTICS SCANNING LASER OPTHOMOSCOPE. WITH A RESOLUTION OF TWO MICRONS, THE MACHINE CAPTURES IMAGES OF THE RETINA IN EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL. DR. SUN: THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OUR TREATMENTS ARE GETTING BETTER, AND SO, THANKFULLY, OUR PATIENTS ARE LOSING LESS VISION. WHEN THEY LOSE VISION, WE CAN BRING BACK THE VISION MORE FREQUENTLY. EMILY: THE MACHINE IS USED IN RESEARCH STUDIES FOR NOW BUT ONE DAY COULD BE PART OF PATIENT CARE SOMETHING LYNN WICKWIRE , BELIEVES WILL HELP ALL PATIENTS FACING VISION LOSS. >> NOBODY NEEDS TO GO BLIND NOW WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE EXCELLENT TREATMENT. EMILY: EVERY NEW PATIENT AT JOSLIN IS EXAMINED WITH THE WIDE-FIELD IMAGING CAMERA. IN MANY CASES, THEY’RE CATCHING DISEASE PEOPLE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS THERE, SO INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY AND INCREDIBLE USE OF IT, AND THEY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. BE